After this weekend I remembered all the "record breaking" threads we saw about Wilder that pulled up last year, despite the draw against Fury beforehand. Still, not many boxers I know of made it to 40-0, even when they devoted their careers bumbashing. These are the few well known 40-0 and beyond heavyweights before their first loss/draw or in Rocky's case retirement... Rocky Marciano, 49-0 Brian Nielson, 49-0 Larry Holmes, 48-0 Nikolay Valuev, 46-0 LaMar Clark, 42-0 (thanks @Unforgiven , and shame on me for forgetting about him) Don Steele, 41-0 (all by KO) George Foreman, 40-0 Deontay Wilder, 40-0 Counting draws we get Gene Tunney in there (obviously) at 47-0-2, and Wilder then even makes it to 42-0-1 that way, passing his legendary fellow Alabamanian (is that a word?) Don Steele, who's run ended by the list's #2 legend, Brian Nielson. Who doesn't want to make it into that list?! And I obviously forgot a couple of them... do you guys have other names to complete this?
Its very hard to be a Heavyweight champion at 40-0 Rocky Marciano, 49-0 Larry Holmes, 48-0 Nikolay Valuev, 46-0 George Foreman, 40-0 Deontay Wilder, 40-0 Its hard to reach 40-0 vs any Heavyweight Brian Nielson, 49-0 Don Steele, 41-0
I roll my eyes without a care in the world for a guy with a zero Its how I know he aint pushed himself hard enough in life... taking on the real challenges. Life is all about losing, and coming back from it... and taking on the challenges where you could very well lose.
With the opposition he have aka truck drivers, passengers, shop consultants and so on, a lot of people can go even over 60-0.
I can sort of see what you mean, but regardless 40-0 when you've fought utter no hopers like Wilder did is no huge achievement. It simply means you're consistent in your bum bashing.
The most difficult part about it is often finding a promoter/manager shameless enough to find so many bums to feast on.
If I were writing a screenplay there'd be a scene where Tyson Fury is sat looking at a double cheeseburger with extra fries. There's a look of horror and revulsion on his face TF. I can't do it! The shadowy coach figure. There's no other way, we've been through this. Do you want a shot at the last belt? Only one way that can crushing guy will ever go near you... do you want that shot? Tf. You know I do! TSCF. Then tuck in. You know the target weight. Then don't forget you have lines to do before tomorrow... Montage sequence of fast food, booze and drugs... Next scene Tyson is a thirty stone fat mess and the shadowy coach figure grins and says Now we're ready!
Garbage logic. By that logic someone like David Price could go on a world tour of weekly fights against no hope journeymen and go 200-0 in 4 years. It would mean NOTHING. Just like Wilders padded record. Blindly ignoring the quality of opponent in a fighters record is just delusional.
I kind of agree. Also that is a huge difference between Don Steele and Wilder. Steele got his record between 1994-1997. That's a hell of lot of fights in that time period, that clearly means record padding for a payout. Once he fought a C level fighter he was KO'ED. Wilder got a championship. The difference is no one was calling Steele a ATG while undefeated , people knew what it was. When Wilder was undefeated, he was talked about with the greats by some people. Good point thou.
Wilder obviously had a tougher route to 40-0 than did Don Steele and Lamar Clark, but for someone who held the WBC belt for 10 straight defences, the relatively low quality of his opposition has always been a talking point in boxing. I think he's a dangerous world class fighter and anyone who knocks out decent contender like Ortiz twice, quite brutally, and knocks out a dozen fairly respectable 'fringe' contenders and journeymen, is probably some sort of threat to anyone. But, no, he was never close to being a great. And his WBC reign has been a bit fraudulent. NO ONE took him seriously as any sort of champion when he beat Stiverne, he wasn't even considered a challenge to Wladimir at that time. He gained currency by defending against a string of guys who we'd barely even heard of. Duhaupus, Molina, Szpilka, Washington.
